


two hands longing for each other's warmth

by msbrokenbrightside



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Drinking, M/M, Mutual Pining, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-13
Updated: 2016-10-13
Packaged: 2018-08-22 06:28:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8276029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msbrokenbrightside/pseuds/msbrokenbrightside
Summary: Qrow would think, in all of Atlas, that the General and Headmaster of Atlas Academy would pick a far more decent bar to partake in than the rat hole Qrow had chosen.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt from anon for some ironqrow. Set before Amber had been attacked. Man I wish I heard this song before I made that Ironqrow fanmix. Maybe I’ll go add it. No beta again, sorry for any mistakes!
> 
>  **12/12/16:** Went through and fixed some of the clunkier sentences and some other things. 
> 
> ([“Still” by Daughter (Isosine Remix)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUItvPDiqYw))

Qrow would think, in all of Atlas, that the General and Headmaster of Atlas Academy would pick a far more decent bar to partake in than the rat hole Qrow had chosen.  
  
Apparently not, though, because James sits down next to him quietly. With how large James is, and all of the additional parts to him, doing anything quietly would be impossible. But if it weren’t for Qrow’s heightened senses he would not have noticed that James had sat down next to him.  
  
James probably thinks Qrow is farther along in the night’s drinking than Qrow actually is and is being quiet to be nice. Genuinely or simply because he wants something from Qrow, either way Qrow is not in the mood for company right now. He’s in the mood to get trashed so he can stumble back to the room he rented and pass out into sleep.  
  
“What do you want?” Qrow slurs out. Maybe if he pretends to be as drunk as James thinks he is James will leave sooner.  
  
“I heard from Ozpin that you were in the area. I assumed you’d try to make it to Atlas to get a more restful sleep, instead of trying one of the outer villages,” James remarks before asking the barkeep for a drink.  
  
Qrow scowls because that’s exactly what he was doing.  
  
He takes pride in being unpredictable but James seems to be able to read him like a children’s book.  
  
The only thing that tinhead could read like that however. Considering James's inability to think past the problem in front of him. But that was why James was a General, Qrow thinks, and why he was a spy. James could look out at a battlefield and see the exact strategies he needs to do to ensure victory. Qrow knows exactly which corners of cities to look for trouble and how to tell when someone is lying to his face.  
  
“Didn’t answer my question, Jimmy,” Qrow smirks when he sees out of the corner of his eye James bristle at the nickname, “What do you want from me?”  
  
The barkeep comes back with Jame’s drink and James pays them. Griping his glass with a gloved hand--the metal one, Qrow knows--James sighs.  
  
“It’s James,” he starts before swallowing half of his drink, “and I wanted to check in with you.”  
  
Qrow scowls immediately, teasing mood gone.  
  
“Check in with me? I’m not some rookie,” he growls out, leaning back off the bar. Even turning towards James to glare at him. He’s not in the mood for company and he’s not in the mood for this either. He may not be angry yet but anger is an easy emotion to muster up. And an easy emotion to make clear.  
  
Qrow motions towards the barkeep for one more drink.  
  
James turns to him, visibly startled by the hostile reaction, “I didn’t mean it that way, Qrow. You’ve been on this mission for months. Long-term mission are difficult on any hunter.”  
  
“I’m not just any hunter,” Qrow remarks, taking the new drink when the barkeep is done pouring and throwing it down his throat.  
  
James sighs, “I didn’t mean it that way either. I just thought you’d appreciate someone checking in with you. We’re on a team now.”  
  
Now Qrow actually bristles, fake anger funneling into real, “We are not on a team.”  
  
Qrow will only ever be a part of one team.  
  
Objectively Qrow knows what James meant but that doesn’t stop the negative emotions from clawing up. The grief over his lost and scattered team. The anger that James’s could ever insinuate that Qrow would have any other team. It would be best for both of them if Qrow left now, before he lets himself get the better of both of them. He’d rather not rediscover how well James fights.  
  
Standing from his stool he turns to leave, reaching into his pocket for his wallet, when he feels something grab his upper arm. He turns to see James looking at him; they are eye level now, since James is sitting down.  
  
It’s much harder to ignore the sincerity of James’s previous words when he’s staring into James’s eyes. Jame’s was being honest when he said that they were on a team now. He doesn’t know the intimate and awful ways STRQ fell apart. An innocent party made a victim to Qrow’s foul mood. Already Qrow feels the anger start to dissipate, guilt filling the spot left behind. It’s also very difficult to ignore what James’s hand on his arm does to Qrow.  
  
As a spy Qrow is supposed to look closely at everything, never leave any stone unturned, you never know what you’ll find.  
  
But this thing between him and James, that’s been there since Qrow’s academy days, that is one thing Qrow does not want to look into. Maybe before when they were younger Qrow would have. When everything wasn’t a mess, he would have. But now there’s too much going on now. Both of Qrow and James are too much themselves.  
  
“You checked in, I answered, what else do you want? To pay for my drink?” Qrow grunted, hoping the persona of grumpy drunken bravado will fool James. Even if it is risky throwing in the casual flirtation that comes with it.  
  
To Qrow’s surprise James does reach into his coat pocket and pull out his wallet. With the skill of a marksman, and a man who needs precision for his prosthetics, James pulls out the bills to pay for Qrow’s drink.  
  
“Well, ah,” Qrow starts--caught in the headlights of what James has just done--the anger he had mustered up completely lost now and instead Qrow is left floating, “thanks?”  
  
James holds Qrow’s gaze for a minute more. An agonizing minute in which Qrow wants to tear away from not only James’s hand but also his eyes. Qrow retains enough strength to not do so though. Whatever Qrow’s feeling towards James are, feelings that send electricity up his spine that sometimes goes all the way to his fingers and make the tips feel numb, he does not want James to know and looking away would only clue James in further.   
  
James lets go of Qrow’s arm and turns back to the bar.   
  
“Keep safe, Qrow,” James remarks as he reaches for his drink.  
  
Qrow nods, forgetting briefly that James cannot see it, before speaking, “Sure thing, Jimmy.”  
  
Qrow barely means the nickname and by James’s lack of reaction Qrow thinks James knows it too. Another bout of energy shoots up his spine, maybe James already knows something else too. Qrow still turns away though and flees the bar. If he’s lucky he’ll find another before they close the doors and he can stay till that barkeep leaves.

**Author's Note:**

> Like it? Love it? Have tips? Let me know!


End file.
